BACKGROUND Many concerns about liver transplantation in alcoholic patients are related to the risk of alcohol recidivism. Starting from 2002, an Alcohol Addiction Unit (AAU) was formed within the liver transplant center for the management of alcoholic patients affected by end-stage liver disease and included in the waiting list for transplantation. We evaluated retrospectively the impact of the...

We describe a case of giant cavernous haemangioma of the liver with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (Kasabach-Merritt syndrome) which was cured by orthotopic liver transplant. A 47 year old man presented with bleeding and tender massive hepatomegaly after tooth extraction. Investigations showed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and a giant hepatic haemangioma involving both lobes ...

In this study we aimed to: 1) examine whether there were differences in mental health and quality of life of liver transplant recipients according to etiology that led to transplantation (alcoholic cirrhosis, Hepatitis B/C Virus, hepatocellular carcinoma and others); and 2) to compare mental health and quality of life between liver transplant and cirrhotic patients, according to etiologies that...

OBJECTIVE To examine the outcome of technical variant liver transplant techniques relative to whole organ liver transplantation in pediatric liver transplant recipients. BACKGROUND Technical variant liver transplant techniques comprising split, reduced, and live-donor liver transplantation evolved to address the need for timely and size appropriate grafts for pediatric recipients. METHODS A...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To examine the safety and efficacy of aerosolized pentamidine (AP) as alternative primary prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in adult liver and kidney transplant recipients. DESIGN Retrospective review of medical records. SETTING Tertiary care urban teaching hospital with active liver and kidney transplant programs. PATIENTS Adult liver and kidney tra...

-The success of liver transplantation has created unexpected challenges for physicians and surgeons caring for patients with chronic liver disease or acute liver failure. Specifically, with all of these legitimate candidates for liver transplantation, how does one prioritize them given the unfortunate issue of limited donor availability? The answer to that problem has undergone several iteratio...

BACKGROUND Regional variations in kidney and liver transplant outcomes have been reported, but their causes remain largely unknown. This study investigated variations in kidney and liver cold ischemia times (CITs) across Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) as potential causes of variations in transplant outcomes. METHODS This retrospective study analyzed the Standard Transplant Analysis and...

We aimed to determine whether frailty, a validated geriatric construct of increased vulnerability to physiologic stressors, predicts mortality in liver transplant candidates. Consecutive adult outpatients listed for liver transplant with laboratory Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) ≥ 12 at a single center (97% recruitment rate) underwent four frailty assessments: Fried Frailty, Short Phy...

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important measure of the effects of chronic liver disease in affected patients that helps guide interventions to improve well-being. However, the relationship between HRQOL and survival in liver transplant candidates remains unclear. We examined whether the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores from the Short Form...

During the past 20 years liver transplantation has become the definitive treatment for most severe types of liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma, in both children and adults. In the U.S., roughly 16,000 individuals are on the liver transplant waiting list. Only 38% of them will receive a transplant due to the organ shortage. This paper explores another option: bioengineering an autologous...